4 Best Sights in Montserrat

Boats chug in and out of the port at the northern end of this otherwise comely crescent with calm waters. Several beach bars—Pont's (fine cheap local lunch Tuesday through Sunday), Soca Cabana, Seaside and Sylvia's—provide cool shade and cooler drinks. Carlton's Fish Net Bar specializes in barbecued stuffed trunkfish (a shellfish delicacy). In addition, several bars and restaurants were built in the adjacent section dubbed Marine Village. You may see locals casting lines for their own dinner. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.

Follow the yellowing signs to Old Towne's Vue Pointe Hotel (which may or may not be open) to reach this mile-long, pearl-gray beauty, a favorite swimming beach that has expanded greatly thanks to volcanic flow. This beach is also close to Isle's Bay and has a track nearby for walking. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

The island's sole white-sand beach is a perfect cove tucked under a forested cliff whose calm, unspoiled waters are ideal for swimming and offer remarkable snorkeling. It's accessible only via the sea or a steep trail that runs over the bluff to adjacent Little Bay. The hike in takes about an hour; the boat trip, just 10 minutes (you can make arrangements with local fishermen). There are no regular facilities or shade, but its very remoteness and pristine reef teeming with marine life lend this beach exceptional charm. Quan Jo Boat Tours & Camping offers Sunday beach activities, including boat rides and snorkeling, as well as food, music, and tents for shade. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.

The only drawback to this secluded strand is the occasionally rough surf (children should be closely monitored). The breezy but covered picnic area on the cliff is one of the best vantage points to watch migratory humpback whales in spring and nesting green and hawksbill turtles in early fall. From here, you can hike north, then down across a wooden bridge to even less trammeled Bunkum Bay, which has a friendly guesthouse and beach bar. Amenities: restrooms. Best for: solitude; surfing.